Something to Look Forward To
by Kristen3
Summary: During a party at Frasier's, Niles invites Daphne out on to the balcony. Can he find the courage to take a leap? One-shot. Sequel to "Tearful Encounters," by iloveromance. Written w/ author's permission.


**Author's Note: **A huge "thank you" to Andrea (iloveromance) for allowing me to write this sequel to her beautiful story. I hope this lives up to your expectations!

Daphne looked around Dr. Crane's apartment, smiling proudly to herself. Though the guest list for this party was considerably smaller than the younger Dr. Crane would have liked, the party seemed to be going well. Dinner had already been served and eaten. The half-dozen guests now stood around the apartment, discussing wine and opera. However, the party's host stood all by himself near the balcony window, just staring out into space. Daphne wondered if he was still hurting over the way his ex-wife had treated him. She knew how much this party meant to him. Stealing away most of the guests was nothing but a vindictive move to ruin Dr. Crane's reputation. Just thinking about it made her angry. But this wasn't the time for that. Right now, she needed to go see if Dr. Crane was all right. She walked over to him.

"What are you doing over here? Shouldn't you be talking to your guests?"

Niles let out a sigh. "These people don't really care about me, Daphne."

"Why, that's ridiculous, Dr. Crane! They're here, aren't they? They obviously want to see you."

Niles laughed sarcastically. "They just want to report back to Maris about how pathetic I am."

"You're not pathetic," Daphne replied immediately. "And even if those snobs don't care about you, it's their loss."

"Thank you," Niles said, blushing slightly. "I guess I'm just not really in the mood for a party. But I can't thank you enough for helping me put all of this together. If it hadn't been for you, I would've just cancelled the whole thing."

"It was my pleasure," Daphne replied. "I figured you'd need something to look forward to since you and Mrs. Crane split up."

"You didn't have to do all of this just to make me happy!" Niles said. "I have things to look forward to."

"Like what?" Daphne asked. She wondered if he was talking about a woman. He definitely could use a little companionship these days.

"Well, there's my daily coffees with Frasier. And sessions with my patients," Niles said.

Daphne laughed slightly. "I thought maybe you were going to say you were interested in someone. But I guess you're not ready for that yet."

Niles looked at Daphne in surprise. Here she stood, in an exquisite black dress. And she'd gone to all this trouble to help him. He wondered if he dared to take a leap. He glanced back out at the Seattle skyline, then turned back to Daphne. "Why don't we step out on the balcony? It's a bit more private."

"Oh, well, all right," Daphne said, opening the door. "It's a bit chilly out here, don't you think?"

"Don't worry, Daphne. If you get too cold, you can put my jacket around you." He followed her out on to the balcony.

"Your brother does have a lovely view out here. Sometimes when no one's home, I like to sit out here and just look at all those stars."

"Yes, the view here is nice," Niles replied, never taking his eyes off her. He looked at her in silence for a moment, wondering how it was possible for her to have gotten more beautiful in the time they'd been out here.

"Is something wrong? You seem nervous," Daphne asked. She had a feeling Dr. Crane was working up the nerve to say something. She knew she would have to be patient. He wasn't as able to express himself as his brother was.

"I still can't believe all the trouble you went to with this party. I really don't know how to thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, Dr. Crane. It really wasn't that much trouble." Daphne wondered why he seemed to be so uncomfortable all of a sudden. Usually he was so upbeat and eager to talk to her.

"Well, I still appreciate it," Niles said. Suddenly they felt a gust of wind. Goosebumps formed on Daphne's arms immediately. "Would you like my jacket?"

"Oh. All right," Daphne replied. She turned her back to him. He took his jacket off, carefully placing it around her shoulders. She felt warmer already. For a split second, she wondered if it was because of the jacket, or the fact he'd given it to her.

Suddenly, Niles took a deep breath. He was here, alone with Daphne, underneath the stars and the beautiful skyline of Seattle. If there would ever be a perfect moment, this was it. He couldn't waste it. He reached out and took her hand, smiling when she didn't pull away. "Earlier, you said you didn't think I had anything to look forward to these days," he said. "But you were wrong."

Daphne looked at him in confusion. Why was he telling her this? She felt goosbumps again, but this time she didn't think the cold was to blame.

"I have something to look forward to every single day. And I am interested in someone. But I don't know if she feels the same way."

Daphne gasped slightly. What was he saying?

Niles looked at her, knowing she wasn't sure what he was trying to tell her. "Daphne, the thing I look forward to every day is you. Even if I only see you for a moment, it's worth it. I'd rather be out here with you than spend one more second with those snobs in there," he said, pointing at Frasier's living room. "What they think of me doesn't matter anymore. They're not my friends. They never have been. But you...you're very important to me."

Daphne smiled. He always had a way of making her feel special. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. You're important to me, too."

Just hearing Daphne say those words made him feel ten feet tall. Recently, Maris had done all she could to make him feel worthless. The one hope he'd had, the thing that kept him going, was Daphne. Maybe this was his moment to go from hope to reality. All he needed to do was take a step. It wasn't a big step, but it was scary. "Daphne, I love you."

For a moment, Daphne wondered what he meant by that. After all, love could take many forms. Friendship, or a sort of family feeling. The way she felt about the other Dr. Crane and his father. But then there was a different kind of love. The kind that made people get married and start families. Was that the kind of love he meant? Looking into his eyes, she could see the answer. Yes, that was the kind he meant. Silently, she walked toward him, putting her arms around him. Immediately she felt safe and warm. He held her like that for a long moment. Eventually, she looked up into his eyes again. "Dr. Crane?" she whispered.

"Yes," Niles replied. Holding Daphne in his arms was the closest thing to heaven he could imagine.

"I love you, too."

Just when Niles thought the moment couldn't get any more perfect, it did.

**The End**


End file.
